Deaffest is the UK’s leading Deaf-led film and arts festival. It is a dynamic and thriving festival which celebrates and showcases the talents of Deaf filmmakers and media artists from all over the world. The 2012 festival will be held at Light House in Wolverhampton from Fri 25 – Sun 27 May.
The Deaffest Film and Arts Gala Awards and the Ben Steiner Film Bursary are held in alternating years. In 2012 the Ben Steiner Film Bursary will be awarded at Deaffest. The next Gala Awards are scheduled for Deaffest 2013. The Young Deaffest competition is held every year, with awards presented in the afternoon on Saturday 26 May this year.
More about the history of Deaffest
A bit of background info…
Deaffest 2012 will be the fourteenth festival to be held in Wolverhampton since 1998.
The festival is managed by a steering group including representatives from Zebra Uno, Light House and University of Wolverhampton.
Light House is a media centre specialising in film, video, photography and creative media with a programme of film screenings and festivals, media training, video and multimedia production, enterprise development, photographic exhibition, education, media projects and events.
Zebra Uno have successfully delivered media training for Deaf people in the UK and provided Deaf Awareness and British Sign Language Training to businesses for the past 4 years. Zebra Uno directors Nikki Stratton and Marilyn Bueno Del Carpio have industry experience, Nikki presenting Channel 4’s Vee TV programme and Marilyn as BSL Consultant for the programme.
Nikki Stratton’s appearance on TV has given her widespread recognition throughout the Deaf Community, with Nikki winning the UK’s Best Female TV Presenter Award at Remark! Film and TV Awards in November 2005. Recently, Zebra-Uno worked in partnership with Bantock House Museum in Wolverhampton introducing a British Sign Language-based PDA guide, as well as ensuring greater online accessibility, with visitor information available in BSL on the museum’s website. As a result of this Zebra Uno won the Jodi Award 2007 for Excellence in Accessible Technology.
Watch this film from the 2008 festival produced by students from University of Wolverhampton…





